818

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

bottom ; and in conetruing what is a natural oyster bed, bar or
bottom, it shall be construed to mean those beds, bars or
bottom where oysters have grown or do grow in sufficient
quantities to be profitable to persons taking oysters for a liveli-
hood with tongs ; and any person who shall heretofore have
had surveyed and located a five-acre oyster lot under the pro-
visions of section 46 of Article 72 of the Code of Public
General Laws, title "Oysters" shall be permitted to remove
such oysters planted or bedded thereon on or before the first
day of April, 1899. In case any person who shall heretofore
under the provisions of said section 46 of Article 72 of the
Code of Public General Laws have located any five-acre lot of
oyster bottom, shall fail to remove such oysters which they
shall have bedded or planted upon such five-acre lots before
the first day of April, 1899, the said lots so heretofore located are
hereby declared vacated, and it shall be lawful for any citizens
of St. Mary's county, who has a license to take or catch
oysters with tongs, to enter upon and take oysters from such
lots.
96 B. Any person or persons, or body corporate, violating
the provisions of the above section shall be deemed guilty of
a misdemeanor, and upon conviction before a justice of the

Guilty of mis-
demeanor.

peace or the Circuit Court, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of
not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars
for each and every offense, and stand committed to the county
jail for sixty days, or until fine and cost are paid ; and in
respect to bottoms located after the passage of this Act when-
ever twelve citizens of St. Mary's county appear before a jus-
tice of the peace, in and for the said county, and make ofth that
any person or persons, or body corporate, holds or are attempt-
ing to hold in possession any such oyster beds, bars or bottoms
suitable for the catching of oysters contrary to the provisions
of the above section, it shall be the duty of the said justice of
the peace to notify in person or by writing, said person or per-
sons, or body corporate, that after ninety days from the date
of said notice they shall be deemed guilty of a violation of the
provisions of the above sections unless they shall have in the
meantime vacated the aforesaid bottoms and surrendered the
same to the public use. And the provisions of this Act shall
be construed liberally to secure the purpose thereof.

Effective.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That this Act shall take effect
from the date of its passage.
Approved April 9, 1898.